Chen dynasty
The Chen (Tan) dynasty is the ruling dynasty of the Dark Realm of Han and the State of Xandu. It has historically had significant influence in the military and economic development of Old Xandu under the former Huang dynasty (not a royal dynasty, but rather a de facto ruling one). Unlike Great Thornia, the Chen dynasty's territories do not have a formal, shared bureaucracy. However, their treasuries are largely intertwined. History Old Xandu See: Xandu Weihan was a general in the Xandunese Army during the heyday of Old Xandu during Ray's de facto rule of the state. He was responsible for the development of Xandu's defence strategy against the burgeoning Umic state. He eventually split off from Xandu to form the Dark Realm of Han, with himself being the first Dark Lord. Weiryn, Weihan's sister, was responsible for the construction of much of the eastern half of Shanjing. She developed a shopping district and envisioned colourful and practical housing developments in the city. Dark Realm of Han See: the Dark Realm of Han The Dark Realm was founded south-west of Xandu and was a de facto buffer state between Xandu and the then-newly-independent Tyavyli. Under Weihan, the realm's resources were dedicated to the construction of the yet-to-be-completed Fort Han, the largest military installation in the world. The realm also underwent an aggressive foreign policy against Tyavyli, and maintained cold and distant diplomatic ties with Ume. The realm was briefly under the rule of Wu (Goh) dynasty when Weihan abdicated and designated Jia Ren as his successor. Jia Ren was quickly deposed after a major scandal and Weihan returned to the lordship. From mid 2019 to December 2019, the Dark Realm was a member of the Holy States and its successor, the League of Palus. In late 2019, Ray formally declared the Xandunese state defunct, thus triggering the League of Palus to quickly annex the territory. Then Provisional President (and eventually Hegemon) Clarence immediately awarded Xandu to Weihan and created the short-lived Free State of Xandu (the only time the Dark Realm of Han and Xandu were legally unified). The Free State did not survive for long as Weihan invoked the Article of Secession in the League's constitution to withdraw only the Dark Realm from the league. State of Xandu See: State of Xandu Xandu became the State of Xandu in December 2019, with Weihan as its governor. The state is an important source of wealth for the western regions of the League of Palus due to its extreme hills and intensive agriculture. Western Expanse claims The land claims in the Western Expanse borders the northern frontier of the Dark Realm, the north western mountains of Xandu, and stretch northward to the large swamps of the expanse. Around the time of the dissolution of the Free State of Xandu, Wey Yao (governor of Umia and Mayor of Cataracta) conducted an expedition around the plains far north of the Dark Realm's historical borders and claimed them on behalf of what was then the Free State. As the claims were made around the same time as the Free State's dissolution, it is unclear whether the land claims belong to the Dark Realm or Xandu.